Google Keep is one of the most useful apps in the Google suite of services. While it started out as a simple, minimalist, and functional note-taking app, it now includes a wide array of features and utilities to boost your productivity. A recent finding suggests that Google plans to give Keep even greater prominence by turning it into a de facto system app in Android 16.
System apps are those considered essential to the overall functioning of Android—or any OS. For this reason, you can’t uninstall them through conventional methods. They also have deep integration at the OS level that gives them access to certain “privileges,” which in turn enables potential features that third-party apps can’t have.
Google Keep will move to the list of system apps in Android 16
That said, Android Police spotted that, in Android 16 Developer Preview 2, Google Keep is a system app. While there are no more specific details, the move suggests that the Mountain View giant may be planning to implement new and more powerful features in the near future. After all, these kinds of features require additional privileges to access certain data. As a system app, Keep could also have access to specific key locations within the internal storage.
So, it looks like Keep will come pre-installed, and you won’t be able to uninstall it on Android 16. The only way to remove system apps is to obtain root privileges on your device.
Will taking notes from the lock screen finally become a reality?
One of the potential new features that has been widely speculated about is note-taking directly from the lock screen. However, the long-awaited feature remains indefinitely delayed. Perhaps the integration of Keep as a system app will give it the privileges it requires to allow it. We can also speculate about things like greater integration with other Google services and apps, among other things. The “system app” status opens the door to countless possibilities. Let’s hope more news about the future of Google Keep emerges soon.
